"Will PM Modi pay heed": Congress MP KC Venugopal slams Centre over electoral integrity concerns

New Delhi [India], February 22 (ANI): Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP KC Venugopal raised serious concerns over the integrity of India's electoral process, directing sharp criticism at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
On social media platform X, Venugopal questioned whether PM Modi would heed the message of his "best friend" Donald Trump regarding ballot papers and same-day voting.
"Will PM Modi pay heed to his best friend Donald Trump's message on ballot papers and same-day voting, and address the concerns of the whole nation about the integrity of our electoral process?" Venugopal asked, urging the Prime Minister to take immediate action on these pressing issues.
Notably, in remarks to governors at the White House, President Donald Trump urged the adoption of paper ballots and voter ID in elections. He outlined four key steps he wanted governors to take when it comes to voting. These steps include switching to paper ballots, implementing same-day voting, introducing voter ID requirements, and demanding proof of citizenship.
Venugopal further highlighted what he described as "the abnormal increase of lakhs of voters in Maharashtra" and "surgical deletions of opposition votes," suggesting that these incidents reflect serious flaws in the electoral system.
"It is tragic that the BJP is feigning ignorance to what is evident to the entire world, that the electoral system can be severely manipulated and their attitude of running away from transparency is only confirming our suspicions about their malpractices," Venugopal added, emphasizing the Congress party's concerns over the lack of transparency in the current electoral framework.
Earlier this week, Venugopal strongly criticised the appointment of the new Central Election Commissioner and said that the decision went against the spirit of the Constitution.
Taking to social media, X, the Congress MP wrote that such egregious behaviour only confirmed the doubts that the ruling regime was "destroying" the electoral process of the country.
"In a hasty midnight move, the Government has notified the appointment of the new Central Election Commissioner. This goes against the spirit of our Constitution, and what has been reiterated by the Supreme Court in many cases - for the electoral process to have sanctity, the CEC must be an impartial stakeholder," the post read.
It continues, "their decision to hastily hold the meeting today and appoint the new EC shows they are keen to circumvent the Supreme Court's scrutiny and get the appointment done before a clear order kicks in."
"Such egregious behaviour only confirms the doubts that many have expressed about how the ruling regime is destroying the electoral process and bending the rules for its benefit. Be it fake voter lists, schedules favouring the BJP, or concerns around EVM hacking--the government and the CECs it appoints are subject to deep suspicion because of such incidents," the post further read. (ANI)